If you get table salt hot enough — say, 1,474 degrees Fahrenheit — it actually becomes a liquid.
And if you pour this molten salt into water, it creates a pretty impressive explosion.
The Backyard Scientist did a series of entertaining experiments testing this phenomenon in a YouTube video he posted March 8.
Everyone get ready to see the results:
Ready now? Here we go!
Think that couldn't be more awesome? Let's watch that up-close and in slow-motion:
Scientists who've also experimented with molten salt and water concluded that the explosion isn't the result of a chemical reaction — just a mechanical one.
Basically, the molten salt is so hot that it superheats the relatively cool water, causing it to undergo a shockingly fast phase change from a liquid to a vapor.
This occurrence is called homogeneous nucleation, and scientists have found that it can create shock waves. And those shock waves, in turn, can trigger explosions.
The Backyard Scientist hypothesizes that drops of water get trapped in the molten salt as it falls through the tank. Once it turns into steam, the water rapidly expands and leads to the explosion.
He illustrates this idea with silly putty:
We caution against ever trying this experiment, especially at home. Molten materials can cause severe burns, ignite hazardous fires, and have also led to serious industrial accidents.
At a foundry in Quebec in the 1960s for instance, 100 pounds of molten steel slipped from its ladle into a trough of water. The explosion cracked the walls and floor, breaking 6,000 panes of glass, according to a report on the incident.
Though it's cool to see The Backyard Scientist play with molten salt, we wish that he would have worn protective pants and a lab coat for safety.
Watch the full video below:
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